Is Spiderman originally a Marvel franchise? Or DC? I'd like to see an article on "how Marvel won the game," because when people think of superheroes I would think that they immediately think of DC characters, yes? Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc... But it seems to me like Marvel is god. Is it an ensemble thing? Sci-fi geeks do love their ensembles?

Anyway, I just looked it up...Spiderman is Marvel. Why does Sony own it again? Just a fluke? And if a random studio owns the franchise and has to keep cranking out movies to maintain their ownership, then is that really Exhibit A of what's wrong with the genre or is it Exhibit Z-stroke-567.8 of what's wrong with Hollywood? It's an unfortunate footnote, more like. No matter how bad it gets, isn't the response always going to be: What would it have been like if Marvel had the rights?

A quick scan of related geek blogs says that response is the current thinking. So does it really add to genre fatigue, or is it shrugged off as industry fuckery while we all wait for the next Marvel-helmed mega movie?

The history of the Spider-Man film saga is told in the "Lights, Camera, No Action" chapter of your "Greatest Sci-Fi movies Never Made." In my dream article, I would go back and race the origins of all these deals and how it got us to where we are today. However, the short and skinny is that in the wake of Tim Burton's Batman, Marvel sold off all sorts of ancillary rights to Spider-Man in a desperate attempt to stave off bankruptcy. Literally half a dozen production companies could legally lay claim to owning the film rights to Spider-Man. It took years of legal wrangling, but ultimately Columbia Pictures (now owned by Sony) came out on top.

(Marvel's near bankruptcy in the 90s and the hubris that caused it would be a large talking point in my nonexistent piece because, well, kings fall.)

Sony's deal is the same as Fox's deal with X-Men: the studio has to make a movie every three years or the rights revert back to Marvel which now that they're *the* Hollywood super-power, are quietly (and not so quietly) trying to influence. They got the rights to Daredevil back from Fox an are launching multiple Netflix series based on all their "Hell's Kitchen" detective characters. (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones/Spider-Woman.)

The Spider-Man movies have been textbook "law of diminishing returns" for Sony, but they understand that it's a huge property and are loathe to part with it. Ideally, they'd probably like to sit on it for more than three years and relaunch it later, but that kills the deal. Their Marvel maneuvering is trying to plug holes in the dike.

Personally, I blame Raimi's Spider-Man 3 for being a disaster though maybe that generation of kids just grew up and the new generation like Iron Man better.

New Spider-Man Will Appear First in an Upcoming Marvel Film Within Marvel’s Cinematic Universe

Marvel's Kevin Feige to Produce Next Installment of the Spider-Man Franchise with Amy Pascal

(Culver City, California, and Burbank, California February 09, 2015) – Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.

Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel's world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company said: "Spider-Man is one of Marvel's great characters, beloved around the world. We're thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building."

"We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans."

"Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker's story into the future," added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

"I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie," said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. "Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel's involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years."

Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/.

I have completely lost track of where we're at in the Spiderman franchise. I know I haven't seen all the movies... And it feels like it's hit some sort of reboot singularity. Hasn't it been rebooted three or four times in the last, like, 7 years?

While “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is still two months away from opening, Sony is acting quickly to build its extended universe, which starts with the “Venom” movie.

Although the studio has been meeting with directors for some time, the actor selection process sped up after Hardy exited J.C. Chandor’s action-thriller “Triple Frontier,” and Sony saw an opportunity to court an in-demand talent.

Fleischer showcased his ability to bring together dark themes and humor in “Zombieland,” and according to sources, Hardy is a huge fan of Venom. Hardy’s only previous film in the superhero genre is 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” in which he played another baddie, Bane.

Scott Rosenberg (“Jumanji”) and Jeff Pinkner (“The Dark Tower”) will write the script for “Venom,” with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing the movie, along with Amy Pascal. Palak Patel and Eric Fineman are overseeing the project for Columbia Pictures.

“Venom” is set to hit theaters on Oct. 5, 2018.

Since its inception in 1988, Venom has been one of “Spider-Man’s” most popular characters, making it a top priority for the studio to get a movie off the ground. The character is an alien symbiote that needs a human host to survive. The alien vests its victim with incredible powers. Venom made his first big-screen appearance in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3,” where he was portrayed by Topher Grace.

Throughout the history of Marvel Comics, Venom has appeared alongside Spider-Man, Iron Man, Deadpool, Hulk, and other Marvel Comics characters.

Hardy most recently starred in the FX series “Taboo” and can be seen next in Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk.” He is repped by CAA and United Agents.

The film marks Fleischer’s first major tentpole since signing with CAA last year. He has primarily been working in the TV world, specifically on Netflix’s “Santa Clarita Diet.” He is also currently developing a sequel to “Zombieland.”

Fleischer is also repped by Management 360.

Hardy posted a photo of himself in a Venom T-shirt to celebrate the announcement.

So this is reboot #3, this time partnered with the bloated Avengers storyline of the MCU, though Spidey actually benefits from existing in that world.

The film opens right after the big battle in the first Avengers and Michael Keaton's working class hero/villain is a contractor who just landed a sweet gig doing salvage of the big alien battle. However, he's quickly waylaid by Damage Control, Tony Stark's big corporate company responsible for superhero clean-up. (If these films are so obsessed with all the urban destruction they wreak, maybe they'd, I don't know, blow up less fucking buildings?)

Pissed of, Keaton drives off with a truckload of alien tech, which he and his team reverse engineer into weapons they sell to criminals. (The film makes a point of saying the Keaton is basically a street-level Tony Stark, who also made his fortune selling weapons.) Keaton engineers himself some scary metal wings and claws and becomes the Vulture, pulling of heists of Damage Control's trucks to get more alien tech to sell to hoods.

Flash forward to after the events of Civil War and Peter Parker/Spider-Man is dying for a next mission as part of his "Stark Internship." Stark has given him a high tech Spdiey suit, but only lets him access part of it's capabilities. Stark has also made Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan Peter's direct contact, but he ignores him in favor of organizing the Avengers big move from Avengers tower in NYC to a militarized compound upstate. Peter is stuck navigating high school while trying to find a crime spree big enough to get back on Tony Stark's radar. A bank heist using the Vulture's weapons kicks off an investigative caper he thinks will get him back into the big leagues.

Boring comic book shit, right? But what the film does is plant all this squarely in the world of a high school comedy in the mold of Sixteen Candles, Can't Buy Me Love, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which the film references a wee bit heavy-handily. Sophomore Peter just wants to fight crime, but he's also trying to hide his secret form his academic decathlon team while trying to impress hot senior Liz. His goofy best friend Ned finds out he's Spider-Man and uses Peter's crush on Liz to convince him Peter should use his Spider-Man alter ego to make them popular. In Peter's quest to be a future superhero, he's fucking up the here and now in high school. The more successes he gets, the cockier he gets. He hacks into the suit to release it's full potential (and it's hilarious "mother" style AI) and starts biting off bigger chunks of superhero mayhem, getting on the Vulture's radar in a bad way. After a disastrous fuck-up, Stark takes the suit from him and Peter has to decide what's important in his life.

I'm gonna stop here plot wise, because the third act of this thing is a lot of fun. There are some nice twists that I didn't see coming and it all unfolds in a way that makes you understand what a John Hughes superhero movie would probably look like.

I liked it. This reboot has benefitted from getting away from the stupid Uncle Ben origin and Harry Osborn shit, and just letting Spider-Man be a kid in love with the idea of being something bigger than he is. The performances are really what make it. The kids are great. The kid playing Peter Parker nails it. Marisa Tomei as Aunt May doesn't have much to do, but is memorable in every scene she's in. (There's a running joke through the movie about how hot she is.) Keaton is really, really good. It's one of the best takes on a Superhero villain we've seen in a long time because his motivations makes sense and even the way he and Spider-Man become intertwined feels based in reality that has narrative logic. You feel real stakes of the third act. (Which thankfully has nothing to do with the world ending.)

It's not perfect, and it leans on those 80s teen movie tropes pretty heavily. It's squarely aimed at high school kids, but it's all fun and swift and airy while at the same time feeling grounded in a world where both super-heros exist, but the world itself (at this moment) isn't at stake.

And it works by stripping away the dark teen angst and replacing with the more relatable, "OMG, I have debate team meeting with the girl I like." Which is more what real teenagers have to fucking deal with. The kids feel like real relatable kids.